Illinois state legislators are considering reforms to the youth prison system to address sexual abuse that was brought to light in a recent federal study. The study by the bureau of justice statistics found that more than 15 percent of kids in custody reported being victims of sexual abuse. It’s one of the highest rates in the nation and the report is giving advocates new ammunition to push changes they’ve wanted for a long time.

After more than 20 years as Chicago's Mayor, Richard Daley is working with the new Mayor of Gary, Ind., to try to revitalize that rust belt city. Daley is a senior fellow at the University of Chicago and his students are also helping in the transformation effort.

Northern California's Salinas Valley is often dubbed America's salad bowl. Large growers there have long relied on thousands of seasonal workers from rural Mexico to pick lettuce, spinach and celery from sunrise to sunset. Many of these workers seem destined for a life in the fields. But a program that helps field workers, like Raul Murillo, start their own farms and businesses is starting to yield a few success stories.

With the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, the Kaiser Family Foundation says Champaign County will see the highest percentage growth in the state of people signing up for Medicaid, with 15,000 new enrollees.

Secretary of State John Kerry says Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have agreed to meet again within two weeks to continue substantive negotiations on a so-far elusive peace deal. He said the sides had set a goal for a nine-month deadline for reaching a pact.